Wow, I'm glad people like this story! I already have a lot written so chapters should come pretty regularly, and I figured i'd post the second chapter now since it's done. Thanks for reading guys, enjoy! Also, I don't own any of the characters in this story, but you all know that.

A few days had passed before Callie and Arizona saw each other again. Both had been incredibly busy with surgeries, and they hadn't had another surgery together since their first. They weren't avoiding, they just hadn't bumped into each other. Callie was sitting on a bench outside the front of the hospital, it was raining and cold but she didn't have an umbrella or a jacket on. She sat staring straight ahead. It was early morning but still dark outside; the sun had not yet risen. She had worked all night and was exhausted but all she could feel was an overwhelming sense of grief and loss. It was the day; she hated this day, the anniversary of her parent's accident. Every year on this day Callie had a hard time doing much of anything, she always pushed through whatever she was feeling but it wasn't easy.

She was a doctor; she understood death. She understood how to adapt; she knew how to get past it. She had tried to get past her parents death, and she always told herself she had, but she was different then she used to be. All those years of shutting people out and keeping to herself made her who she was now, and no one had ever really been able to help her. On this day every year, it made her feel like she was sixteen again and hearing the news for the first time. The day would end and she would feel a little lighter, until next year. Callie was soaked and shivering from sitting in the cold rain but she didn't care. She could see her breath linger in the air in front of her face and fixated on it so she could have something more to focus on.

Arizona had the day off after being on call the entire night. She was paged into a few surgeries that took most of the night to finish and was now heading home for some much needed sleep. She neared the exit of the hospital and pulled on her jacket then got her umbrella out of her bag. She still wasn't used to all the rain, but she was sure it would grow on her. As soon as she stepped outside she was instantly hit by the cold and dampness and had to take a moment to adjust to the difference from inside to outside. She pulled open her umbrella and started to walk towards the parking lot. To the right of her she noticed a familiar body sitting on the bench. Arizona saw Callie and quickly walked over to her. Without saying a word to her, Arizona took off her jacket and draped it across Callie's shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing just sitting out here?" Arizona asked as she tried to hold her umbrella over the both of them. "You are drenched and shaking!"

Callie didn't reply, she still sat silently as her eyes watched her breath.

"Callie?" Arizona asked.

After a few more seconds of silence Arizona grabbed Callie's arm and pulled her up off the bench and walked her into the parking lot to her car. Arizona put her key in the passenger side door then opened it and set Callie down on the seat. She closed the door then walked around to the driver's side and got in. She turned the heat on and they both let it warm them up.

"My parents died," Callie said quietly.

Arizona turned to look at Callie who was looking down at her hands in her lap, her face still with sadness.

"I'm sorry," Arizona replied. It was all she could muster up in response. She knew loss when it came to family and she understood how hard it was. "When did it happen?"

"Oh, the way I said it...it must have sounded like it just happened."

There was no response from the blonde, who instead just sat with an understanding expression on her face.

Callie continued, "When I was 16. On this day when I was 16."

Arizona was the first person Callie had ever told. She couldn't believe how she had just said it. She had never been able to freely admit it so easily before. It should be something that she had gotten over years ago, or at least something she had gotten better at coping with. Most people would be fine by now. But it was always so hard for her to talk about it, so she didn't, but for some reason she felt like she could trust Arizona.

The sight of Callie's somber appearance made Arizona want to pull her into her arms and tell her it would be all right, but she knew it wouldn't be. That void of not having them would never go away, it would just fade a little every day. She understood the feeling all too well.

"I wish I had something to say to make it better, make it easier," Arizona said. "But I don't."

"I'm fine."

"You were frozen and sitting in the rain." Arizona shook her head, "You are not fine."

Callie didn't want to be in the car anymore. She suddenly didn't want to be near Arizona. She was going to lose what little resolve she had left and she did not want that to happen in front of her. Callie took one more look at Arizona, whose blue eyes were fixated on her then got out of the car and back into the rain which was now coming down harder.

"Wait!" Arizona said as she followed Callie out of the car. She didn't bring her umbrella and Callie was still wearing her jacket so she was also now cold and soaking wet.

The cold was finally hitting her, Callie hugged Arizona's jacket around her and reveled in the surprising comfort it gave her.

"You are going to get sick," Arizona said as she stood in front of Callie.

"I don't care."

"You're a doctor, you care."

"Leave me alone, I shouldn't have said anything."

"I'm not going anywhere."

They were both soaking wet from head to toe now but they just stood still waiting for the other to do something.

"I don't even know you," Callie finally said, feeling defeated.

Arizona smiled. "Sure you do, I spilled coffee all over you and then we had a conversation. Remember? I'd consider us acquaintances."

A smile tugged at the corners of Callie's mouth, she hated to admit it but Arizona was making her feel better. She also hated to admit that she was very cold and if she didn't get out of the rain soon, then like Arizona said, she would get sick.

"Get back in my car, let's go get you warmed up."

They pulled out of the Seattle Grace parking lot, and Callie didn't question where they were going, it didn't matter. The car was warm and quiet. She was thinking about her parents but also about the woman sitting to the left of her who was driving. Arizona glanced over at Callie, she could tell the wheels were turning in Callie's head but didn't ask what was going through her mind. She just let her be and instead focused her attention to the wet Seattle roads ahead of her. They pulled up in front of a tall apartment building; Callie assumed Arizona brought them to where she lived.

"Let's go inside," Arizona said as she turned off the car and motioned for Callie to follow her.

Callie nodded then got out of the car and trailed behind Arizona into the building and onto the elevator. They got off at the fourth floor and walked to the second door in the hall. Arizona had her keys in her hand; she unlocked the door then walked inside. She turned around to see a hesitant Callie standing on the threshold.

"You can come in you know," Arizona said.

"Right," Callie replied as she took a step inside. Arizona closed the door behind her and took her jacket off of Callie's shoulders then hung it up on one of the hooks that sat on the wall by the door.

"Give me a second to find something dry for you to put on," Arizona said as she walked across the room to rummage through one of the boxes that sat on the floor. Callie observed the apartment and noticed that it didn't look very lived in. It made sense, Arizona did say she hadn't been in the city long and most of the time she had was spent at the hospital. Boxes were spread out on the floor and stacked by a couch. There weren't many boxes, Arizona clearly hadn't brought many things with her based on how empty the place looked. As Arizona sifted through the content of one of the boxes Callie leaned against the wall and waited patiently.

"Here," Arizona said as she made her way over to Callie. "These should fit you."

The blonde placed a pair of sweatpants and a plain white v-neck t-shirt in Callie's hands.

"There's a bathroom down the hall where you can change."

"Thanks," Callie said then turned down the hall towards the bathroom. She walked in and closed the door behind her and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding in. The bathroom, much like what she had already seen of the apartment looked sparse and unused. Some shampoo and lotion sat in the shower, there was a towel on the ground with a hairbrush on top of it and a toothbrush and toothpaste sitting by the sink. Other then that, the room was empty.

Callie stripped off her now damp scrubs and folded them and set them on the ground. She stood in her underwear looking at herself in the mirror then pulled on the clothes Arizona had given her. She ran her hands through her brown locks of hair in an attempt to do something with the mess that was the result of sitting in the rain for too long.

Arizona had changed quickly and was sitting on her couch hugging her knees against her chest while she waited for water in her kitchen to boil so she could make tea. Callie walked out into the living room and set her scrubs on top of one of the boxes.

Arizona looked up when Callie walked into the room. "So they fit, that's good," she said.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Do you want to sit? I'm going to make tea," Arizona said as she watched Callie curiously.

"Sure," Callie said as she took a seat next to the blonde.

They sat silently until the sound of the kettle cut through the tension. Arizona got up off the couch and made her way to the kitchen. Callie stayed seated and played with a loose seam on her t-shirt.

Arizona poked her head out of the kitchen. "I forgot to ask, if you'd even like some tea. All I have is green tea, I hope that's alright?"

Callie nodded and Arizona disappeared back in the kitchen then re-appeared with two mugs. She handed one to Callie before taking her seat again on the couch. There was a loud clap of thunder outside as the rain continued to pour down.

"Hopefully it won't take long for me to get used to the rain," Arizona said then blew on her tea to cool it down. She knew it felt a little uncomfortable in the room and was attempting small talk. Callie had some sort of breakdown in the rain and Arizona didn't want to upset her again by saying the wrong thing.

"It rains a lot," Callie said and immediately wished she had said some different, something more interesting.

"It certainly does."

Callie took a sip of her tea and felt the hot liquid slide down her throat. Despite being in dry clothes and inside a heated building, she was still cold.

"Thank you," Callie said

"For what?"

"For this." Callie motioned towards her clothing and the cup she held in her hand. "And for snapping me out of whatever haze I seemed to be in back there."

"Really, it's nothing."

"No, Arizona. It's something. Thank you."

Arizona let out a deep breath and nodded, "You're welcome."

The two sat in silence for a little longer drinking their tea and letting their bodies warm up. There's a chill that settles in when you're around cold for a long time, a dampness that seems to lingers. That's how both women were feeling. Chilled, damp, and also a little nervous.

"So," Callie said as she looked around the room, throwing a sideways glance in Arizona's direction. The blonde seemed to be lost in a thought of some sort.

"Hmm? What?" Arizona asked when she felt Callie's eyes on her.

"I was just, uh, going to ask you how you were liking it in Seattle. I mean, besides the rain."

Arizona smiled and gave Callie a showing of her dimples; they were something she decided right then and there that she could never get tired of.

"I like it a lot. The people are friendly and the hospital is great."

What Arizona wanted to say is that she was enjoying Seattle so far, but things would be easier if thoughts and images of Callie weren't always occupying her mind, not that she was complaining.

"That's great," Callie said. The conversation seemed to stop there for a minute or so until Callie decided to do her best to keep a conversation flowing. She hated awkward silences, even though the silence's with Arizona weren't all that awkward.

"I remember when I moved here, it was a bit of a shock to the system."

"Oh?" Arizona said. "Where did you move here from?"

Feeling a wave of fatigue and a shiver down her spine, Callie made herself more comfortable on the couch in hopes to seem more at ease. She turned her body so instead of sitting beside Arizona, she was sitting facing her.

"I'm from Miami, I moved here when I got an internship at Seattle Grace."

"Wow, you pretty much moved right across the country."

"Yeah," Callie said and looked down at her lap. "I just needed distance."

"I get that, wanting to sort of separate yourself. I felt that for a long time."

Callie could feel a shift in Arizona's demeanor and wondered why. She simply sat and listened to what the other woman had to say.

"My brother died four years ago, and it…well it hit me pretty hard. I was blindsided."

Arizona didn't speak for a second; she had grieved over the loss of her brother and then accepted it. She did her best not to think abut losing him but when she did talk about it, it was obvious it made her sad.

"I was a mess for a long, long time. I kind of shut myself out from the world and I never let anyone in. Looking back now I regret a lot of what I did during that time, I feel bad for how I treated my parents and my friends. I know I was just dealing with something big but it doesn't change the fact that I could have handled my life differently. Tim and I were extremely close, he was my best friend. I was his. Things were really hard for a while."

The dark haired doctor sat listening and knew by the way Arizona spoke that it was a terrible experience for her to go through. She knew she still had some wounds and was a little jaded but as she was hearing the story Arizona telling her, she felt a tug of her hearts strings, she felt herself being pulled towards the blonde. She knew that it would be almost impossible for her to try and keep her out of her life now.

"Why are you telling me this?" Callie asked.

"Because I want you to know that whatever you're feeling, no matter how painful and lonely it may be, you can talk to me about it. You can say whatever you want and I will sit and listen. I pass no judgment. My life almost completely fell apart when my brother died and I wish now that I had let someone in, wished that I had talked about what I was feeling when I was feeling it. I chose to go through it alone, and that was the wrong choice."

Callie nodded lightly then looked down at her hands. She placed them facing palm up in her lap, she didn't know who she would be or where she would be without her hands. Her hands were her livelihood, the only thing that up until this point mattered. She was doctor; she was surgeon. Her hands saved lives.

A tear slid down her cheek and Arizona reached her hand out and placed it under Callie's chin. She lightly lifted Callie's head so their eyes met. She slid her thumb across Callie's cheek to wipe away the tear.

"Listen," Arizona said softly. "I can be your friend, I can be your sounding board. If you want me to be."

Callie smiled, a real smile. The only thing that ever made her smile was her work, but here was Arizona, a kind and generous person who she had only known for a little while. Arizona was making her smile and she liked it. She wanted to be Arizona's friend; she wanted to be more than Arizona's friend.

"I would like that," Callie said as she watched Arizona's blue eyes almost seem to sparkle as a smile appeared on her face as well.

"I'm happy to hear you say that. Now, what would you say if I asked you again to get a drink sometime? Because I could definitely use a drink. A busy week of surgeries and working non-stop earns me a bit of a break, don't you think?"

Callie only ever went to one bar, Joes. It was right across from the hospital. It was dark and loud and one of her favourite places to go and sit and drink away her sorrows. Part of her wanted to take Arizona somewhere fancier, she wanted to take her somewhere with a nicer atmosphere but Joes was a place she loved. Everyone loved Joes.

"A drink sounds good," Callie said but then looked down at her clothes. "We might not want to go dressed like this though."

"Well, it's not even noon yet, it's kind of early for drinking anyways, don't you think?" Arizona replied then smirked.

"Oh, right."

"I can take you home and then we can meet up later I guess?"

"I live right across the street from the hospital, so you could just drop me back there."

"Great," Arizona said and stood up then took Callie's empty mug from her hands. She walked out of the living room to put their mugs in the sink in the kitchen then came back out. "Do you want to go now?"

"Sure," Callie replied then stood up. "I'll just go change back into my scrubs and give you these clothes back."

Arizona grabbed Callie's wrist lightly when she went to turn to walk towards the hallway.

"Callie, don't be silly. Your clothes are most certainly still wet. You can just give these ones back to me whenever. No rush."

"Thanks Arizona," Callie replied. For a day that started off horrible, and was horrible every year, this one was starting to feel a little brighter. Even if the skies outside were dark and gloomy. Callie was starting to learn that with Arizona nothing felt dark and gloomy, and she definitely needed a little light in her life.